Difficultly flammable cigarette wrapper



Sept. 3, 1935. s. E. SEAMAN DIFFICULTLY FLAMMABLE CIGARETTE WRAPPER Filed May 25, 1933 INVENTOR QWQM unsmoked portion of said cigarette is discarded.

Patented Sept. 3, 1935 DIFFICULTLY FLAMMZABLE CIGARETTE WRAPPER Stewart Elmer Seaman, White Plains, N. Y.

Application May 25, 1933, Serial No. 672,836 2 Claims. (61. 131-52) an especial quality, must be free from pinholes and porous portions in order to obviate local air leaks and insure uniformly burning qualities, while permitting sufiicient air to penetrate therethrough to permit of proper combustion of de- My invention is concerned with the production of a cigarette wrapper, which when used to surround tobacco as in a cigarette in condition to be smoked, reduces the fire hazard when the One object of my invention is to produce a wrapper for a cigarette or a cigarette so wrapped, that when the unsmoked portion is discarded, said unsmoked portion will be almost immediately and automatically extinguished, instead of being left around where ignition with inflammable material may take place, and a confiagration initiated.

Another object of my invention is to so place or locate that inflammability-retarding element in respect to its length, that it will be that distance from the mouth portion of the cigarette where experience has shown that a smoker normally discards the cigarette. Experience has indicated that this distance is usually from a fourth to half the distance from the mouth of the usual length of the cigarette, that is, when the same has been from one-half to three-quarters consumed. Such a cigarette if discarded while still lighted-as it usually is-will normally continue to smoulder and burn until the cigarette has been entirely consumed. In time tests made by me, this period has varied from five to fifteen minutes, during all of which time it was a distinct fire hazard.

Statistics of the fire insurance companies attest to the enormous loss sustained, directly traceable to this cause.

Other objects will appear in the description following.

My invention, therefore, comprehends a cigarette wrapper and a cigarette so wrapped, with a, difiicultly flammable band, colorless or colored, placed on the ordinary paper wrapper at a position or positions desired, so that when the cigarette is consumed to the point of contact with the band, which point is that distance from one end of the original cigarette which experience has shown is at that degree or stage of smoking where the cigarette is normally discarded, that said cigarette when discarded will almost immediately go out of its own accord. When a cigarette is discarded, it is seldom under observation by .the smoker while continuing to smolder until substantially the balance of the cigarette is consumed. However, if the smoker does not desire to discard the cigarette at this predetermined point or points, by continually drawing on the same, it may be further consumed.

Paper found suitable for a cigarette wrapper is sired speed, and therefore insure free and uniform smoking qualities.

rette.

Where a single band is provided for the cigarette, a band from one-fourth to an inch in diameter has been found suitable, although I do not limit myself to a specified diameter of the band or bands.

Normally it has been found in the use of a single band of fire-retardant composition, that the portion of the band nearest the -lighted end of the cigarette should be so adjusted that the band will be reached when one-half to three-quarters of the cigarette has been consumed. a It is not intended that the band shall be sufliciently near the lighted end as to interfere with the normal smoking of the cigarette, and shall not be so close to the end of the cigarette intended to be inserted in the mouth, that it will be in contact with the smokers lips.

My film, band or pellicle, when attached to a cigarette, will cause the same to be almost immediately and automatically extinguished when normally burned to contact with the band or strip, unless the smoker continues to actively draw on the same.

My fire-retarding band, is

inodorous, tasteless, sanitary, pleasing in appearance, resistant to the admission of air, of very light weight, susceptible of printing thereon if desired, and is inexpensive.

this purpose, or an organic cellulose ester or av cellulose ether may be used as such, that is, without de-esterification or de-etherification. Obviously on account of infiammability, it is contra-indicated to employ a nitrocellulose without partial or complete denitrification.

It is of advantage that the fire-retarding cigarette paper band or covering be substantially waterresistant. I i

In the preparation of the band or film from which a band may be obtained, I may add thereto additional fire-retardants as inorganic salts,

' examples being calcium sulfate, or other alkaline earth metal sulfate, carbonate or phosphate, or

'other difiicultly-burnable, non-toxic, odorless barium salt into a viscose solution, casting the same into film form, then immersing in a sulfuric acid solution of suitable concentration, wherein by double decomposition, barium sulfate results. Or, I may incorporate: a body as barium sulfide in the cellulosic composition, cast the film, and then immerse in a zinc sulfate solution, whereby a double decomposition will ensue with the formation of the two white pigments, zinc sulfide and barium sulfate. I take a solution of a cellulose ester in a volatile solvent, as an ace tated cellulose dissolved in a solvent mixture containing acetone, evaporate the volatile portion therefrom, and casting the same in a pellicle or film form, cut up the same into the length and width desired, for attaching to the cigarette at the point or place desired. Or a film produced from the evaporation of the volatile portion from a cellulose ether may likewise be used, or a regenerated cellulose film be prepared as from a de-nitrated nitrocellulose, de-acetylated cellulose acetate, or from a viscose solution or a copperammonium mixture with cellulose.

As a specific embodiment of my invention, given for illustrative purposes only, and to be understood as not limiting the same, I may take a viscose solution of the strength of cellulose contained therein and other physical characteristics suitable for rayon production, cast the same into sheet or film form by ways now known, cut the film so obtained into strips of one-fourth to threefourths of an inch in Width, and of suitable length to encircle the cigarette, attaching the same to said cigarette by means of a suitable agglutinant, and allowing the adhesive attaching the band to the cigarette paper to dry at ordinary atmospheric or elevated temperature. If the film or band has had fire-retarding components added thereto, the general method of procedure as substantially outlined above is still adhered to. Or, I may encircle the cigarette with the paper wrapper therein with a regenerated cellulose or esterified or etherified cellulose band in the wetted or partially dissolved or plasticized condition, and allow the same to adhere by the normal contraction induced by the evaporation of the aqueous or non-aqueous portion,

If a salt of this nature Or, I may attach the band or film to the cigarette paper wrapper before the wrapperhas been .placed in contact with the tobacco, or I may sumed, usually when one-third to two-thirds of said cigarette has been burned.

In the drawing, Fig. 1 illustrates a cigarette carrying a single movable band thereon; Fig. 2 shows a cigarette with. a plurality (in the drawing, 2) such bands attached thereto; and Fig. 3 represents a water-insoluble fire-retardant band before attachment to the cigarette.

Iam aware of the patent of Felix Meyer, U. S. Patent 931,629 for impregnating or coating the ends of cigars,with a solution of acetylcellulose mixed with a coloring matter, but this invention is the antithesis of Meyer in that it is not desired to coat or impregnate the end of a1 cigar or a cigarette to protect the lips of the smoker".

I am also aware of the mechanical patent of George Butler, U. S. Patent 779,687, who has described a mouthpiece for a cigarette or cigar which mouthpiece is so constructed that the tobacco does not come in contact with the mouth or the lips of the smoker, and the German Patent 378,122 of Dorendahl et al., who encases the entire cigarette in a cellophane wrapper. I do not claim anything embodied in the above.

Instead of providing but one band indicating the length of a cigarette which may be discarded with its fire-hazard reduced, two or a plurality of bands may be attached to the same at varying distances. If a smoker reaches the first band and desire to consume a larger proportion of the cigarette, he may actively and continuously draw on the same until the cigarette is consumed in the banded portion, whereupon it may be smoked in the usual manner until the next band is reached.

What I claim is:-

1. A process for reducing fire hazard in the consumption of cigarettes comprising preparing a film of fire-retardant cellulosic matter containing barium sulfide, then immersing said film in a zinc sulfate solution thereby forming white insoluble zinc sulfide, and attaching said film to paper used to encircle the tobacco portion of said cigarette by means of an adhesive, said film being of at least in length, the width of the paper used, as herein set forth.

2. A process for reducing fire hazard in the consumption of cigarettes comprising preparing a coloredsband of fire-retardant water-insoluble cellulosic matter containing an inorganic delustering material containing zinc sulfide as used in rayon manufacture incorporated there with, attaching said colored band to paper used to encircle the tobacco portion of said cigarette by means of an agglutinant, and removing moisture from the adhesive used, substantially as described herein.

STEWART E. SEAMAN. 

